3 Reasons Why Brave Writer Is The BEST Homeschool Writing Curriculum

Free yourself from restrictive writing methods with Brave Writer, a homeschool writing curriculum that is all about freedom, exploration, & writing bravely.

Learning how to write is hard.

I’m not talking about the early years… capitals and lowercase letters, proper letter formation, and pencil grip… While necessary, that is not the type of writing I’m talking about.

No. Today I’m talking about the process of transferring the words from your head to paper in a way that the reader can see what you’re saying.

That is hard.

It’s hard for adults.

It’s hard for kids.

And it’s hard for homeschool moms all over because most homeschool writing curriculum options teach writing from the wrong approach.

Yeah, I said it!

Traditional writing programs get too caught up in rules and sentence structure. They bog the student’s down with mechanics and things like dangling modifiers and comma splices.

These programs, while well-meaning, do little to teach the child the joy and the wonder of the written word and instead crush a spirit of story-telling before it can even be cultivated.

Homeschool parents and students alike dread the process and avoid it. Writing becomes a chore and a dreaded one to boot.

And this is the reality for many families in the homeschooling community. It was our reality for a while and I’m going to assume it’s yours as well if you are reading this post.

It doesn’t have to be this way though.

While most programs teach rules and restrictions one program encourages creativity and expression.

That program, is Brave Writer.

Failing At Homeschool Writing

Early on in our homeschooling we used a program that taught all the rules.

Rules that the kids could memorize, complete a worksheet on, and even pass an end-of-the-week test on.

But then the next week, a new rule was taught and the old one was forgotten.

Short term memory – 1

Long term memory – 0

We trudged along dutifully because I felt that this was the right way to teach my kids. It was the way I was taught. It was comfortable. And, it was easy for me.

The problem with comfort and familiarity and ease?

What seemed right for me, was completely wrong for my kids.

Fixing My Mistake

Searching for a new writing curriculum for our homeschool was daunting.

Every homeschooling parent has a favorite method and favorite program.

And while homeschoolers are great at telling you which programs they love though, they aren’t always great at explaining why they love it.

Where our prior curriculum came simply from “I love this program” recommendations, I wanted more. I needed more if I was going to try something new.

So I dug my heels in and asked for more. I wanted to know what about their program made it better. How was it better. And what were they comparing it to.

I asked until I had a solid contender. A program that stood out as a clear winner in a field of rules and restrictions.

The biggest problem?

It was different.

Learning To Teach Homeschooling Writing In A New Way

One program stood out among all of the Language Arts fans.

One program was shared more often and with more passion.

It wasn’t just loved – it was adored.

These fans were louder and prouder to speak about a program that wasn’t just a program, but a lifestyle.

A radical shift in Language Arts options – one that seemed almost overwhelming – yet at the same time was intensely intriguing.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time immersed in their website, reading reviews, asking questions, and trying to make sense of it all.

It seemed so easy, yet didn’t quite make sense – all at the same time. A better, easier, and more authentic approach to Language Arts, but one that didn’t come with student workbooks and lesson plans.

In fact, the main book was written to the parent. A program that taught Language Arts not in the traditional sense, but in a messy sense that required not just a new curriculum purchase, but a new frame of mind.

The ability to look at Language Arts not for what I was always told it was but for what it is – the art of communication. The art of using language to transfer ideas, thoughts, and stories from the writer to the audience in a way that allowed both parties to enjoy the transaction.

So we jumped in.

An Interesting Start

Those first few weeks and months with Brave Writer were not all sunshine and rainbows.

In fact, if I’m being completely honest with you (and myself), they were rough.

Brave Writer had me, the parent, learning more than I had about writing in a long time. I was the student with this program and I had to first relearn everything I thought about writing and the writing process before I even attempted to teach my kids.

It was different. It felt backwards.

Yet, at the same time, it also felt completely right. Like jumping on a bicycle after years of driving a car, Brave Writer took me down the back roads of writing and encourage the kids and me to stop and smell both the real roses and the proverbial ones.

To stop rushing through writing and Language Arts and instead look at this subject for what it truly is – the art of using language.

It’s a tall order, and not one we have been successful at every day.

Yet, over the years we have found that the Brave Writer lifestyle is not only a better way to learn writing and cover Language Arts – it’s a more authentic approach to writing.

3 Reasons Why Brave Writer Is The BEST Homeschool Writing Curriculum

Which leads me, and you, to this. The point of this post and the reason you are here: to find out if Brave Writer is also right for you.

Like me, you are searching for something better for your children, and yourself.

You are struggling with your current homeschool writing curriculum and determined to not wave the white flag of surrender when it comes to writing… even if you secretly want to shred your current program.

And you are determined to send children out into the world who are literate, who know how to write properly, and who can handle whatever life throws at them…

Or at least score well enough on their SATs to get into college. 😉

#1 – Brave Writer Teaches The Parent First

Unlike most programs, Brave Writer is all about teaching you about the messy world of writing, so you can freely release your children.

It encourages you to learn about writing and the writing process before you even think about things like prepositional phrases or subordinate clauses.

Brave Writer does this through what I consider the main book in the program, The Writer’s Jungle.

A guide for parents, The Writer’s Jungle (TWJ for short), is where all of the information you need is contained.

Dubbed “A Survivor’s Guide To Writing with Kids,” TWJ guides you through the process of writing and communication through the written word.

Like having coffee with a friend, it encourages you to let go of your need to control and correct and instead encourages you to trust your children.

I told you, Brave Writer is different!

Contained within TWJ are 17 chapters, 2 appendices, and over 200 pages of writing insight, guidance, and wisdom. All designed to help you, the parent, guide your child through the jungle that is writing.

It’s a mission manual for overwhelmed and confused home educators. And it’s a key component to understanding the Brave Writer lifestyle.

Over the years that we have been using Brave Writer, I have read and reread my copy of The Writer’s Jungle countless times.

Some years I read the whole thing cover to cover. Other times, I’m digging deep into a specific chapter when one of the kids, or myself, is particularly stuck.

Each time, I’m amazed at the encouragement, support, and guidance I receive. The permission to let my kids write and trust that they know where the writing is going.

The reminders that a 4th grade story may be short but it can still be complete.

Or that an 8th grade story may still contain spelling errors and have the elements of great of writing.

And that my goal is not to have my children write what I want to read.

No. My goal is to be able to read what they are writing and see the story they are telling. I am a traveler in their story, not the captain of the ship.

#2 Brave Writer Encourages Reading

While it is technically a writing curriculum, Brave Writer knows that all good writers are also readers.

As students of the written word, readers take in stories and fall in love with them. Or perhaps, they don’t. Perhaps a story is so awful the child will never read that one again.

Either way, if your child is going to learn how to write well, they need to read books that are written well.

And if a book is not written well, your child will learn that, too.

Supporting your, and your budding writer, Brave Writer offers a variety of books and book study programs. Darts, Arrows, and Boomerangs all work to offer you a plethora of grade and age-level books that can be read, studied, and examined.

And these happen to be my favorite part of the whole program!

Ranging from beloved childhood classics, such as Charlotte’s Web and The Mouse and the Motorcyle, up through the hard-hitting reads of To Kill A Mockingbird and Fahrenheit 451, Brave Writer works with you and your child to help learn the key elements that make good literature.

Generally designed to take 4-weeks, each literature study encourages the reader to examine the writing. Whether it’s looking at word choices and synonyms in the younger grades, exploring foreshadowing in the middle grades, or examining historical context in the upper grades, each book selection is designed to grow your child’s knowledge of the written word.

There are plenty of classics tales, modern books, and fun stories to chose from, allowing you to customize your writing and reading to fit your family’s time, budget, and preferences.

#3 Brave Writer Encourages Fun

A simple heading, I know, but a distinction worthy of one of my three reasons.

Brave Writer encourages fun. Having fun, looking for fun ways to learn, and encouraging you to have fun as you go through a process that will take years to complete.

Because learning how to write, and how to write well, is a process.

Whether you are opting for the 7-Day Writing Blitz and writing on windows or with shaving cream, or opting for an afternoon tea, Brave Writer grants you permission and shows you how to have fun with writing.

Brave Writer encourages you to skip the traditional methods of memorization and repetition. To opt-out of expectations based on a specific age or grade level that translate to a frustrated homeschool. And to even think about writing with something other than a pencil.

It guides you, as you guide your children through a complicated and challenging process.

It holds your hand and offers support, permission to listen to that voice inside that says learning can be both educational and joyous.

How?

Brave Writer incorporates more than 15 different elements – everything from free writes to Shakespeare, movies to art, poetry to short stories – and helps you decide where to start, what to use, and how to incorporate it all into a writing program that is customized for your family and your child.

All the while, Brave Writer is right there with you, acting as your tour guide to the wonderful world of encouraging writing.

Finding Freedom In Our Homeschool Writing Curriculum With Brave Writer

When we first started with Brave Writer I quickly realized that it was not like any other homeschool writing curriculum we had ever used.

And that, my friend, is a good thing.

We needed different. We needed unique. Our homeschool needed a program that would show us how to be free in our writing and guide us to see the wonder of the written word.

And in short, it worked.

Brave Writer helped us learn to look for adventure and be adventurous in our writing.

It taught me how to allow my kids to dream and explore their potential while I took a backseat for the majority of the process.

Brave Writer showed me how to guide my children where they need it, but also how to set them free and follow their own imaginations, taking their writing to new places.

I watched as pencils moved, slowly at first, but then rapidly as they flew across the pages filled with ideas.

I learned how to listen intently when they told me stories, picking up on clues about their progress.

And together, we learned how to revise and edit looking for the hidden gems in their writing (even if they were hiding under a pile of spelling and grammatical errors).

From there, we learned how to polish the draft (including how to fix those spelling and grammar errors) and experiment with new words, new styles, and new techniques.

We learned how to become brave in our writing.

“To grow great writers, all you need is love—for that quirky, insightful, brilliant mind that lives inside your kiddos; and a little help—a few tools to demystify the writing process.”

Brave Writer, Getting Started

Doing More With Brave Writer

One of the reasons that Brave Writer fans are louder and prouder of this program is that while it’s a homeschool writing curriculum, it’s also so much more.

The Brave Writer approach doesn’t just stop with writing and Language Arts.

The Brave Writer lifestyle can be applied to any subject in your homeschool.

And that is what makes Brave Writer so much more than just a writing curriculum. It’s an idea that we can guide our children, that learning can be messy and chaotic, yet move forward at the same time.

A roadmap to help you as you teach a concept that is hard.

But with the right tools, technique, and approach can be done and done well.

An authentic approach to learning that leaves plenty of room for creativity, imagination, and exploration.

Guidance to help our homeschool explore the wonders of language and the art of effective communication.

Together we are learning not just how to write… rather we are learning how to unlock our inner writer and use works to communicate effectively.

All the while, embracing the freedom that homeschool promises.

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